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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. degree — temperature
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ground — a position
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a signal
  7. ground — the earth
  8. mine — for digging
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. season — in sport
  14. fall — the season
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — an amount
  18. cue — a hint
  19. fall — to drop
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. ground — crushed
  22. season — of the year
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com